August 23, 2024 • 40 mins
The end of the shortened fourth week in the trial of Philip Polkinghorne traverses a range of topics He’s accused of murdering his wife, Pauline Hanna, in April 2021 – but maintains, she took her own life.
More on the couple’s finances, the dark sides of meth use, a sex tape, Google searches about infidelity, and a series of intimate letters between a husband and a wife were all revealed and discussed by witnesses.
You can listen to episodes of Accused: The Polkinghorne Trial through The Front Page podcast feed, or find it on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.
This series is presented and produced by, Chelsea Daniels, with producer Ethan Sills and sound engineer Paddy Fox. Additional reporting by Craig Kapitan and George Block.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Kiota. I'm Chelsea Daniels and from the team behind the
front page. The New Zealand Herald's daily news podcast, This
Is Accused The Polkinghorn Trial. Over six weeks. In conjunction
with our usual daily episodes, we'll be bringing you regular
coverage as one of the most high profile trials of
the year makes its way through the High Court at Auckland.
(00:31):
A warning, this podcast contains disturbing content. The end of
the shortened fourth week in the trial of Philip Polkinghorn
traverses a range of topics. He's accused of murdering his wife,
Pauline Hannah in April twenty twenty one, but maintains she
(00:52):
took her own life. We'll hear more on the couple's finances,
the dark sides of meth use, a sex take, Google
searches about infidelity, and a series of intimate letters between
a husband and a wife. Margaret Skelton's cross examination continued
(01:19):
on day eighteen. You'll remember she's a forensic accountant. Ron
Mansfield began by walking through spending by Hannah. It included
purchases like women's wear, dry cleaning, skincare, hair and beauty.
For example, spending in twenty nineteen covers a little over
thirty three thousand dollars of spending on items attributable to her.
(01:42):
He said in twenty twenty it was about forty thousand dollars.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
So you would agree with me that missus Pulkinhorn obviously
had access to that ad ADO account and was able
to draw or make purchase in relation to various items
that appeared to be relating to.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Who and so far as put what's going on here? Yes,
thank you.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Mansfield runs through payments to the women who appeared as
regular payees, nearly three hundred thousand dollars paid out over
a five year period. He asked Skilton about whether she
looked into what happened to the money transferred after it
hit the women's bank accounts. She didn't.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
No, I didn't because that wasn't what we were seeking,
the information we were seeking, and frequently it would be
viewed as a step too far, like you, by the
court probably or by bias.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
But you didn't actually apply for their banking vehicles to
see how, for example, payment in the summer five thousand
dollars was being utilized.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
No.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Mansfield runs through the names Madison Lee Alaria Jodi. We
don't really know what the payments were for because.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
How she applied the money might provide some indication as
to whether it was a gift, a loan, or the
payment for services or I suppose.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
A product correct, correct?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
So were you able to tell us whether that payment
is payment for services by way of example, or whether
it's a loan or a gift. Given the size of
the payment, it.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Was nothing on the bank statement to indicate what it.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Was for, and you took no further investigations, So from
your work, we don't know.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Correct. Mansfield suggests they could have been loans with payments
made back to Polkinghorn. After some time, he asked Skelton
whether she knew anything about the Ilaria family trust and
whether she knew anything about the family's medical or financial needs.
She didn't. The Crown called addiction specialist Emma Schwartz to
(03:59):
the stand. She's currently the clinical director of CADS, or
the Community Alcohol and Drug Service. She's an expert witness
and gave evidence about the effects and manifestations of meth use.
You'll remember Polkinghorn admitted to two charges covering meth and
meth pipe found in his home. A friend and colleague
(04:20):
said he admitted using meth and urged her to try it,
and thirty seven point seven grams of the drug was
found in the couple's Remueerra home. Schwartz says meth is
from the amphetamine stimulant family, which includes things like MDMA, MDA, MDA,
meth itself, and it's broadly a part of the stimulant class,
(04:43):
which includes everything from cocaine to coffee. Meth has an
additional methyl group, though, which basically means it travels to
the brain quite quickly.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
And if we want to compare it to other things
that release dopamine, you know, something like chocolate or things
that we normally enjoy that release dopamine, you're getting us
sort of one hundred units or maybe two hundred units. Cocaine,
which is another common stimula, you might get about three
hundred or so units of dopamine. For methamphetamine, you're getting
an excessive twelve hundred or so units of dopamine just
(05:17):
there in the synaps.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Smoking or injecting math hits you in seconds, she said.
The euphoria or high experienced in those seconds is what
makes it so addictive. The rush of dopamine reinforces the
want to do it again.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
We might see in someone wide pupils. Their eyes might
be looking wide. They might be extremely alert, they might
be aroused. They might be a little edgy. There might
be tense, they might be sort of keyed up and pacing.
Their appetite is reduced, their need for sleep is reduced,
and then there's these dopaminergic and serratin energy effects which
(05:56):
leads to this relaxation and feeling of pleasure. There might
be more talkative, have a sense of feeling more self esteem,
a greater sense of confidence, a greater sense of libido,
a greater sense of comfort. They're talking away, they're up talking,
not wanting to go to sleep, and not eating, and
they may feel that actually, cognitively there they're doing really well,
(06:18):
so things seem to make sense.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Compared to other stimulants. Math lasts so much longer, she said,
four to eight hours.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
It's half life is about twelve hours. It can be
up to seventeen hours. Sorry, I'll just pulls you. The
half life is what the amount of time that it
takes for half of it to leave the body, and
it's a proxy measure for the how long the duration
of effects of a drug, So cocaine, for example, is
(06:46):
you're getting a couple of hours at most. Where's methamphetamine
you're getting, you know, twelve to seventeen hours. It lasts
for so much longer.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Schwarz said. Within the stimulant class, it's extremely and dedictive.
It affects different people in different ways. If you use
it consistently, the dopamine is consistently depleted. When a lot
of external dopamine is introduced, the body can reduce production
of the hormone. It thinks it doesn't need to produce
(07:17):
it anymore, so that takes a while to come back,
sometimes years. When it comes to the recreational use of math,
she said, it could be once or twice a month.
When people start to use it weekly, it's less recreational.
Binge using is a pattern repeated use over a short
period of time. It reflects the need to use again
(07:41):
and gain to maintain that high. When they stop using,
they crash.
Speaker 4 (07:46):
Often the person has been quite sleep deprived when they're
either on a binge or heavy use, and they may
go for in fact, days and days and days. I've
heard of twenty one days even for someone who they
haven't slepped that long, and so naturally there's this crash afterwards.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Schwartz said, people talk about using meth in points. That's
a point of a gram, so one tenth of a gram.
People usually use a point at a time. Aggression and
hostility can also be a byproduct of meth use. The
jury here is, but violence isn't inevitable. There is a
(08:24):
link between aggression and math use across a range of studies,
though there's some dispute about how these studies were controlled
and their sample sizes.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
The other really important study is actually a New Zealand study,
the Christchurch Health and Development Study, and that follows I
think twelve hundred and sixty five people who were born
in nineteen seventy seven and over time, and they measured
everything they possibly could for each of those people over time,
including their substance use. That including markers for aggression and
(08:57):
violence and assault, and so they have a pretty good
understanding of the past upbringing and the early life experiences
of those people and how that might have bearing an
influence on things downstream. And what they found those that
had used methamphetamine, it was a two point five times
(09:21):
increased risk of perpetrating violence, and likewise, they looked at
intimate partner violence as well, and they found a two
point one one so twice as likely, so you more
than twice as likely to perpetrate violent of perpetrate violence
for the group that used methamphetamine compared with the group
(09:43):
that didn't use methamphetamine.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
On cross examination, Ron Mansfield asked whether the adverse impacts
of meth use depend on the dose and regularity. Schwartz agreed.
Mansfield referred to wastewater drug testing results from New Zealand
in gen Nquary to March twenty twenty four. For example, math, MDMA,
(10:04):
and cocaine were all detected. Mansfield refers to another page
in the report, looking at Auckland. It shows the average
weekly drug use by district sites and grams. In Auckland.
About nine thy two hundred grams of math is being
used weekly on average.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Meth Phetamine at least at a recreational level, was used
widely within our Auckland area.
Speaker 5 (10:30):
Correct.
Speaker 4 (10:32):
I think population estimates are about one point one to
one point three percent of the population uses math them petamine.
That's the so this is not necessarily per person. This
per capita drug consumption by district on the left there,
but you know it's based on waste water. One person
(10:52):
could be using all of this theoretically, if you know
what I mean, based on the circles on the right.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Unless underground, especially the underground.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
Yeah, it wouldn't go well.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
For coverage of other news events in New Zealand, including
the issues facing the Deval group and the start of
the America's Cup. Listen to the front page The Herald's
daily news podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Next on
the stand was Police Constable Madeline Palmer. She was tasked
(11:29):
with examining tech belonging to the couple. She begins with
a MacBook pro belonging to Philip Polkinghorn. There was a
digital clone made of the laptop and she used software
to examine that it shows files and data and when
it was created on the computer. The report she produced
is about twelve hundred pages long. She first looked at
(11:51):
April third, fourth, and fifth. Working backwards, she notes Polkinghorn's
laptop's last use was ten fifty nine pm on April fourth,
the night before Pauline Hannah was found dead. There were
emails exchanged between Hannah and Polkinghorn between ten and eleven
PM regarding his draft resignation letter to Auckland die He
(12:15):
earlier said that she was helping him with it. Now
working back to April fourth and April third.
Speaker 5 (12:21):
At two forty eight am on the second of April,
a Google search was conducted for in zid escorts. In
the following eleven minutes through to two fifty nine am
was spent viewing New Zealand Girls dot co dot nzid,
which is located through the knowledge se Safari records.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
That's just how you identified that on the laptop.
Speaker 5 (12:41):
That's the data title in the laptop devices. The laptop
was also used to watch a video titled pink varionated
dot mov. The female subject of this video I recognized
the medicine Neshton heard un identified as non to Polkinghorn
through his communication and financial data. This video is last
(13:03):
access on the fourth of April twenty twenty one at
eight o seven am. On the second of April twenty
twenty one, at seven thirty nine pm, an email was
received from Ashton regarding the delivery of furniture to Sydney, Australia.
At eight forty five pm on the same day, Polkinhorn
responded to Ashton via email, and the following day, on
(13:24):
the third of April twenty twenty one, at eight nineteen pm,
Ashton sent a further email.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Palmer found images screen grabs from a mobile phone of
a website with instructions for making a glass pipe for
meth consumption using a light bulb. These were created on
the thirty first of December twenty nineteen and last accessed
on twenty third of February twenty twenty one. There's also
another image of a glass pipe. A document referring to
(13:53):
health and wellness goals up until twenty forty was created
in September twenty nineteen. In it, one of the goals
is to avoid using drugs. There were also documents regarding
a property in Northcote Point, a letter to a body
corp AGM notes referencing Alaria. We already know about his
(14:14):
visits to Alaria, a sex worker on the North Shore,
and his appearances at AGM's on her behalf. Then onto
Madison Ashton, the Sydney sex worker. The Crown alleges he
was setting up a future with one of the main
characters of his double life. A confidentiality agreement between Ashton
(14:35):
and Polkinghorn created in November twenty eighteen. A loan agreement
from Polkinghorn to Ashton for just over ninety thousand dollars
for a term of six months from December twenty eighteen.
A consultation request for Madison Ashton to an Australian doctor
outlining symptoms and requesting a test of some kind in
(14:55):
twenty twenty an online application for a home loan completed
by Ashton, dated February twenty twenty one and emailed to Polkinghorn.
There are also more screenshots, this time from an escort
website for the profile of Christine McQueen and alias of Ashton.
There are more references to Ashton, screenshots of chats with
(15:18):
her going back to October twenty eighteen, a screenshot of
Christine McQueen's Twitter account in twenty fourteen, a purchase of
a washing machine delivered to Ashton's address, and she featured
in some videos.
Speaker 5 (15:34):
Yes so these are various MP four and movie document
what file types. Twelve different videos depicting medicine, Eshton and
various states of undress and in sexually suggested poses and
engaging in sexual activity. One shows doctor Polkinhorn engaging in
sexual activity with miss Eshton, and another showsman bid while
(15:56):
miss Eshton moves around the room. These files are dated
between March thirty first, twenty twenty and twenty four March
twenty twenty one.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
They're at twelve yiss.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
There was a spattering of documents relating to auckland Eye,
a shareholders agreement, a resignation letter, and images of Hannah
in lingerie lying on a bed created in twenty twelve.
Another more explicit image of a naked woman, possibly Hannah,
created in twenty ten. Palmer also assessed clone data of
(16:31):
a laptop belonging to Hannah. She looked at the activity.
It was last used at ten forty eight on April fourth.
Her laptop two showed emails between her and Polkinghorn about
the auckland Ie resignation letter. There were numerous emails back
and forth with colleagues regarding the COVID vaccine rollout. Now
(16:52):
onto the Google searches and website visits on Hannah's laptop.
I've clipped some of the references for you.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
First one you've got here is how do you keep
saying when your husband is having an afear?
Speaker 3 (17:05):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (17:05):
And that date of twenty eight of October twenty twenty.
Speaker 5 (17:09):
Yes, the date is twenty eighth tenth, twenty twenty eight,
thirty nine pm. The search was done for www dot
heysegment dot com, hyphen infidelity, Understanding the fear and rebuilding
your relationship.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Help us with the next? Please, best Life online science?
Speaker 4 (17:26):
Husband is cheating?
Speaker 3 (17:27):
Is that?
Speaker 4 (17:28):
What's that?
Speaker 2 (17:29):
Is that the search itself?
Speaker 5 (17:30):
So that's the URL meaning the site access. So this
hasn't been a search term. This has been a website
she has accessed.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
So rather than a search to direct the access to
a particular website. Yes, four June twenty nineteen, on page five,
what's that? First search on that?
Speaker 1 (17:49):
That?
Speaker 2 (17:49):
Please?
Speaker 5 (17:50):
The search is how to cope when things go wrong?
Speaker 3 (17:53):
Are the next?
Speaker 5 (17:54):
Access?
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Is an access?
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Isn't? It?
Speaker 5 (17:56):
Is a website a psychological Psychology Today website with the
title the one most Important way cope when things go wrong?
Speaker 2 (18:07):
You tell us what there is?
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Please?
Speaker 5 (18:09):
Asthet again is on the Psychology Today website. How reading
verbatim here, how think narcissist and why they hurt people?
Speaker 1 (18:18):
In November twenty twenty, a search why do people trample
over me? An inquiry to a private investigator. We heard
about this earlier. This happened in July twenty twenty a
series of emails to family catch up emails. They were
a common occurrence and then a glimpse into the relationships
(18:39):
inner workings. A letter seemingly from Philip to Pauline begins,
Dearest Pauline, presumably written on December twenty third, twenty nineteen.
Speaker 5 (18:51):
I felt increasingly devoid in the last few months of
our relationship. I feel, rightly or wrongly, that I'm a
spectator rather than a participant.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
It goes on to say, onto the day to day stuff,
it seems to me you don't give me a chance
to tell you something without you finishing my sentence, telling
me you're more tired, or stating something as you leave
the room, knowing I can't hear what you say.
Speaker 5 (19:15):
I'm concerned you don't really listen to me. You don't
want to know what I really think. I have tried
on numerous occasions to discuss this with you, but inevitably
it is after nine PM when you come back with
a response that is usually negative. When I request the time,
which is less disruptive to me, you invariably state you
are not a morning person, ignoring the obvious that I
don't want to discuss contentious issues after eight pm.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
It then goes on to say, for many years you
have asked me what I want for Christmas, and my
stock answer has been to not ask me to borrow
money from me then, But in twenty nineteen not only
was that ignored, but you went and got an overdraft
as well. Twenty nineteen, as you know, was a difficult
(19:58):
financial year for me. It reads. It then references some trips.
Speaker 5 (20:03):
But right up until last week you were stating I
hadn't taken you to Australia as much in previous years.
My response was, in twenty five years, you have never
taken me to Australia.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Ever, it goes on in twenty five years, I don't
think you've ever paid for the rates, water bill, insurance etc.
Either at Upland Road or Rings Beach or your car
for that matter.
Speaker 5 (20:24):
Yes, your contempt of money does annoy me. Even stating
your flights are free biggers belief, knowing it is the
use of my ear miles that is paying for those flights.
Dare I say, denying me a discounted flight. I have
come to the recognition, belatedly that you are not going
to change. I know by now the cycle of how
we relate to each other, the verbal argument, sorry, verbal gymnastics,
(20:46):
the overstepping of boundaries, the barbs, and then the declaration
of love, only to reboot the same pathway a week
or month later. My options, it seems, are dead simple,
either accept my lot or move on apart.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
It then mentions a three day a retreat like course
called moving on or Up. Paulkinghorn went missing over Christmas
twenty nineteen, you remember, leaving his wife having to lie
to family about his whereabouts when she arrived at their batch.
A document called Philip appears to be a letter addressed
(21:18):
to her husband, created on the second of January twenty twenty,
perhaps a reply to Philip's dearest Pauline letter. Palmer reads
it out in full. It starts with addressing this to
my darling Philip. It addresses some unhappy times, but reads
(21:38):
now that it is largely you and me. I was
of the view that we have a really exciting, vibrant
time ahead for the next thirty years.
Speaker 5 (21:48):
Spending more time at the beach, being grandparents and really
enjoying together the fruits of all that we have, all
that the two of us have done. I still have
a bucket load of love. I think you do too.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
It goes on to mention some ugly times in the
past eighteen months, and I am by no means perfect.
And you say people don't change. That is correct, but
you can modify.
Speaker 5 (22:12):
For example, I keep my car full. I keep fifty
dollar note in the passenger visor. I attempt to keep
my car clean. I know it is not now. I
have never been dirty. But take on board your criticism
about my handling of food. I have my text messages chime,
so I cannot miss your text. I make an effort
to be on time. Sometimes I fail. I take my
(22:33):
dishes down to the dishwasher in the morning. I accumulate
the washing, so I am not using the washing machine overly.
I don't wear my bodysuits other than to work.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
Money is a big issue. It reads, you do take
the line's share of the load. She references an email.
It reads as if I am a totally selfish person
who contributes nothing financially, she writes, and then it ends.
Speaker 5 (22:59):
So oh, sorry, you were everything to me and you
have changed. I haven't, but clearly I have not read
your signals. If you want to make a change I e. Divorce.
Please make it now before thirty one January so that
can make arrangements. I am sixty two in February, and
I do not have arrange of options right now. I
feel very scared, confused, sad, and incredibly lonely.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
When court resumed on day nineteen, there are several versions
of this Dearest Philip letter, differing in the first and
last paragraphs. A word document titled why and how to Next,
created in October twenty twenty, appears to be a series
of pasted information copied from websites regarding marital affairs, marriage troubles,
(23:50):
and how to move forward and cope with that. On
cross examination, Ron Mansfield takes Palmer through various documents. Auckland
I finances life insurance cover for thirty thousand dollars each.
We'd heard about that earlier in the trial. He references
a search on alcoholics Anonymous, a website. It appears to
(24:11):
relate to a search about the twelve steps of the
AA program. He asks Palmer about deleted search history on
Polkinghorn's laptop. Did they investigate Hannah's deleted search history? She
can't recall now.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
The reason I'm doing this is because we've heard quite
a bit of evidence through this entire trial regarding doctor
Polkinghorn and his interest in sexual activities and within the
relationship and outside the relationship, and to provide some balance.
But we can say this document.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
He then goes into some search history from Hannah's laptop.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
So if one search is the word sex on Missus
Polkinghorn's web history on her laptop, then a number of
results come up carreered in relation to various pornography sites
that she has at had access to.
Speaker 5 (25:11):
Correct based on the document provided, Yes, thank you.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
He goes on the word escorts yields two results.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Now you'll be aware, as a police officer that sometimes
dating sites are also used by escorts, whether they be
male or female, as a way of advertising and or
seeking interest in their services. Are you aware of that? No,
it was not, I'm told, But this final document uses
(25:49):
the suit term dating and provides the results for dating.
So I'm going to produce that as an also thank
you soon.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
Mansfield has signaled he'll be talking more to these documents
later in the trial. What Mansfield is doing here is
something called presenting exhibits. These can be documents photos or
sometimes other physical evidence. As you've learned so far, much
of the trial process is procedural, and this is just
another one of those things. You have to kind of
(26:23):
log in your evidence along the way, so it's on
the record. He doesn't have to go in depth now,
but he notes he will be bringing them up again
later when the defense gets to present its case. Moving
on to a new letter from Hannah to Polkinghorn, created
March twenty nineteen. It's unclear when Polkinghorn received it, but
(26:45):
it's on his laptop by April twenty nineteen. It was
last accessed in August twenty twenty. It starts, this is
a letter to the person who loves me. I thought
that person was you. It's a long letter, so I
will just summarize a few parts for you. You can
read the full letter on enzidherld dot co dot nz
(27:07):
if you're interested. She goes onto detail growing up and
how her father died. She references being overseas, meeting her
friend Susan and Pheasant, a relationship with a man named Graham,
she was never besotted. It reads then to meeting Polkinghorn
a blind Foundation dinner Monday, Philip ratting On my door
(27:30):
and saying, are you talking to me? After the kiss
on Friday night? We must have lunch on Thursday. It
mentions taking a taxi to the French cafe on the Thursday.
It says, she tells the taxi driver, I am about
to make a decision that is going to affect the
rest of my life. It reads, Philip took my hand,
(27:51):
heart flipping, I was sold and the rest is what
we have. It goes on to mention family, their life.
We have been going through some tough times. It reads,
I thought we were a unit. It then goes on
to detail a couple of instances. It reads, what he
said to me that night was not only devastating, and
(28:12):
there was lots of it, but the key thing that
hurt was our last twenty five years is a waste
of time. It was incredible. I almost still cannot take
it in.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
And we've got that reference too. Then all hel broke loose.
I have not behaved as he wanted, and I cry,
I'm gutted. Been holding it in for so long? Can
you see that? Yes, then that is wrong. So that's
the crime, holding it in. And he is angry and
doesn't want to name me or my issues for me
(28:48):
for that matter, and then it reads who who's in
fact ricked all these brackets? Twenty seven? Did I get
it wrong? That he was the truly loved me as
is number one? I was number one in someone's life
as he was in mind? Have we got that wrong?
(29:09):
Question mark? Question mark? God, what a prospect dash? I
cannot live if that is the result that if I
have got it wrong? So those are who words correct?
Speaker 5 (29:22):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (29:29):
The Crown then called Detective Andrew Reeves. He examined mobile
phones belonging to Polkinghorn, a phone belonging to Hannah, a laptop,
eleven external hard drives and USB drives. He starts with
polking Horn's iPhone.
Speaker 6 (29:46):
There were eight hundred and twenty six images of adult pornography.
There were approximately three thousand, six hundred and eighty six
images of sexual nature, and included in the title were
three thous five hundred and twenty five images from something
called cam sites, which are paid subscription sites where people
(30:08):
form themselves. The majority of those images were of women naked,
party naked, or.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
Masturbating on the videos. Reeves found more than three thousand,
five hundred on Polkinghorn's phone. They included ones of Ashton
in various states of undress and performing sex acts.
Speaker 6 (30:27):
There was then two further videos which were again of
that laptop with the screenplaying, and a video of miss
Ashton essentially modeling underwear and walking around in lingerie, and
it involved a sex act by mister Polkinghorn. While watching
(30:49):
the video.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
What was it? Metad out of date for that creation.
Speaker 6 (30:54):
The twenty seventh of the second twenty twenty.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
One, Reeves looked at different messages on the phone. He
focuses on some between Alaria and Polkinghorn.
Speaker 6 (31:04):
The e text messages were between the eleventh April twenty
twenty one and fifteenth of April, and approximately just after
ten pm ten oh three pm on the twelfth of
April twenty twenty one, mister Polkinghorn texted missus Pop Constantino
and said, Hi, I know it's late, but are you
still I was thinking of ubering over. So it was
(31:25):
the day of that one, twelfth of April twenty twenty one.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
This was just seven days after Hannah's death. There were
numerous WhatsApp messages between Polkinghorn and Madison Ashton, but Reeves
said he was unable to find any from before April fifth,
twenty twenty one, when Hannah was found dead. On that day,
messages begin about four to twenty eight pm. Ashton sends
(31:49):
polking Horn a link to an image of herself in
a swimsuit. More messages in the days after Hannah's death,
photos of a Lambshank recipe, she's cooking for her children
or her two Chihuahua dogs.
Speaker 6 (32:02):
Four twenty am. In the morning of the seventh of April,
She's foughted an article in stuff which talks about them,
of the death and how the post mortem is going
to be carried out.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
Reeves moves on through pages of messages between the pair.
More messages, photos of Ashton's dogs, references to her at
a salon, selfie's a plastic surgery procedure. On April eight,
Polkinghorn says his sister Ruth spent hours with police that day.
He tells her police won't release the post mortem results
(32:38):
to his QC, so they're going to try and arrange
another autopsy. Ashton sends information about plastic surgery treatments on
April ten. The messages continue daily over a page thirty two.
Speaker 6 (32:51):
Now on this page a link again is sent from
doctor Polkinghorn via WhatsApp it's a video and I'm not
actually sure what that is. Then Miss Ashton replies, honestly,
I really love you, and then she responds, do not
(33:12):
wear an iffing bow tie at the funeral.
Speaker 5 (33:15):
Keep the hat.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
On April thirteen, she sends a photo it's inside of
a fridge, presumably hers. It's dirty, something spilled.
Speaker 6 (33:25):
Sends another photo from a different angle, and then straight
after that follows up with let's come up with home duties.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
Who does what? Which one is that?
Speaker 5 (33:35):
So that's page thirty six.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
Okay, that's some of the thirteenth thirty PM.
Speaker 6 (33:44):
Yes, she sends a message talking about home duties. Shortly
after that, Doctor Pokinghorn replies, don't recognize that refrigerator must
be the neighbors, obviously, in reference to the photos of
the dirty inside of the refrigerator. Possession replies don't. And
(34:06):
then a bit later, at eleven twenty two pm, doctor
Polkinhorn replies with I am good at ironing and grocery shopping,
putting the rubbish out, and can cook. I am very
good at judging shakes and can freeze bananas. I can
water plants, watch dogs pick up poos point out the imperfections.
I'm a natural at ignoring the obvious spotting expired milk
(34:29):
reading history, and he then follows that up with I
will run the picture past the refrigeration engineer again obviously
in reference to the dirty fridge.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
On April fifteen, she says, good day, darling.
Speaker 6 (34:43):
The later on the fifteenth, doctor Polkinhorn says, I will
call you in about two hours, that's at five or
eight pm. On the fifteenth of April, at five fifty
five pm, Mistation replies with, I just remember that you're
at the service. Would have been a big day. I
believe this is in reference to the funeral server for
Pauline Hanner message at ten fifteen pm from doctor Tolkinghorn
(35:05):
saying I've been having back as I thought I would
have some good news. Unfortunately, in spite of promises, not
the case. That's late on the evening of the fifteenth,
at ten to fifteen pm, the Session replies with, oh,
that's through disappointing. Only consolation you have is that it's
nearly over. At least you knew coming into this that
it was going to be a shitty day. And then XOXO,
(35:28):
love view a whole.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
Lot Polkinhorn's phone was taken by police on April sixteen.
Reeves also explains some Google searches on twenty seventh of
March twenty twenty one, how the brain controls pleasure, another
search for how to change the password on a Mac,
A search for Christine McQueen's OnlyFans account. On April fifth,
(35:53):
about five pm, a search for how to delete iCloud storage.
The time correlates with him leaving the police station after
his recorded police interview, the one we saw earlier in
the trial. On April six, there's another search how to
record on iPhone and how to transfer iCloud storage on
(36:16):
a new Mac laptop, and then a search on duck
Duck Go. It's a search engine designed not to be trackable.
It's all about privacy, Reeves said, but only when you
use the app.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
The I phone twelve Safari search had been deleted on the.
Speaker 6 (36:33):
Device correct, but was able to be recovered. And what
was search search term was leg edema after strangulation.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
So this search leg edema after strangulation was done. On
April six, twenty twenty one, about five point thirty pm,
Reeves goes through the activity on Polkinghorn's phone on April fourth.
The phone is locked at eleven sixteen pm and it's
unlocked at one ten am. WhatsApp is then accessed. The
(37:08):
phones then turned to airplane mode. At one seventeen am,
the note app is accessed, the photos and Videos app
is used. We don't know what he viewed. This happens
sporadically up until two forty four am. That's when the
phone's locked. At six forty six am it's opened, the
(37:29):
photos and videos app used Until eight oh five am
the mobile phone app is used, but unable to work
given airplane mode is on, and then WhatsApp is accessed again.
Speaker 6 (37:41):
No message though, as they were deleted. At auto six am,
the mobile phone app was used again, which is the
app you would use to make a phone call. It
says they're no needtwork activity possible possibly excuse me at
ato six then the display is off again and at
(38:03):
eighteen am the phone is again unlocked, and at eighteen
am the mobile phone app is used to make an
outgoing call, which was later confirmed to be a call
to Ruth Hughes from the Solida Tolco data.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
You remember Polkinghorn rang one one one At eight six
am that morning. Reeves also looked into hard drives and
USB drives. Various photos were found, one showing a glass
of wine next to a math pipe with sweet path
written on the side. It was created at twenty sixth
(38:38):
of June twenty nineteen, after three am.
Speaker 6 (38:41):
Yeah, it's quite dark and a bit hard to see.
But when I zoomed into that rectangular part of the photograph,
because there's a mirrored wall in the room, it's obviously
a reflection. And what is in the reflection is, in
my understanding, Dr Polkinghorn. It looks like him. I've seen
many pictures of doctor Polkinhorn. I've met doctor Polkinhorn, so
(39:02):
I believe that's him in the photograph. He has his
phone in his hand in is obviously taking that photo.
He's naked whilst taking the photo.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
More images of Ashton, thousands of them across different drives.
Images from twenty nineteen show the inside of Ashton's apartment,
Polkinhorn's reflection in a mirror, naked selfies of different women,
WhatsApp screenshot conversations about meeting for sex with Ashton. Text
messages to sex worker Lee about meeting her and having
(39:34):
sex with other males and then onto more drives.
Speaker 6 (39:38):
It contained multiple saved pornographic videos from online sites. This
external hydrivet also contained images of naked female and females,
and some of them we believe to be Lee Petterson
and Medicine Ashton. There was also multiple savid images of
not tying techniques.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
Reeves then moves on to the analysis of Hannah's phone.
He said the final entry on the timeline was a
calendar appointment Hannah had created for dinner with PJP, saved
for April fifth, seven pm, but by that time should
be dead. His evidence will continue on day twenty. You
(40:26):
can listen to episodes of Accused the Polkinghorn Trial through
the front Page podcast feed or find it on iHeartRadio
or wherever you get your podcasts. This series is presented
and produced by me Chelsea Daniels, with producer Ethan Siles
and sound engineer Patti Fox. Additional reporting from the Heralds
Craig Captan and George Block, and for more coverage of
(40:49):
the Polkinghorn Trial, head to Enzhrold dot co dot nz
Kiota. I'm Chelsea Daniels and from the team behind the
front page. The New Zealand Herald's daily news podcast, This
Is Accused The Polkinghorn Trial. Over six weeks. In conjunction
with our usual daily episodes, we'll be bringing you regular
coverage as one of the most high profile trials of
the year makes its way through the High Court at Auckland.
(00:31):
A warning, this podcast contains disturbing content. The end of
the shortened fourth week in the trial of Philip Polkinghorn
traverses a range of topics. He's accused of murdering his wife,
Pauline Hannah in April twenty twenty one, but maintains she
(00:52):
took her own life. We'll hear more on the couple's finances,
the dark sides of meth use, a sex take, Google
searches about infidelity, and a series of intimate letters between
a husband and a wife. Margaret Skelton's cross examination continued
(01:19):
on day eighteen. You'll remember she's a forensic accountant. Ron
Mansfield began by walking through spending by Hannah. It included
purchases like women's wear, dry cleaning, skincare, hair and beauty.
For example, spending in twenty nineteen covers a little over
thirty three thousand dollars of spending on items attributable to her.
(01:42):
He said in twenty twenty it was about forty thousand dollars.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
So you would agree with me that missus Pulkinhorn obviously
had access to that ad ADO account and was able
to draw or make purchase in relation to various items
that appeared to be relating to.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Who and so far as put what's going on here? Yes,
thank you.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Mansfield runs through payments to the women who appeared as
regular payees, nearly three hundred thousand dollars paid out over
a five year period. He asked Skilton about whether she
looked into what happened to the money transferred after it
hit the women's bank accounts. She didn't.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
No, I didn't because that wasn't what we were seeking,
the information we were seeking, and frequently it would be
viewed as a step too far, like you, by the
court probably or by bias.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
But you didn't actually apply for their banking vehicles to
see how, for example, payment in the summer five thousand
dollars was being utilized.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
No.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Mansfield runs through the names Madison Lee Alaria Jodi. We
don't really know what the payments were for because.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
How she applied the money might provide some indication as
to whether it was a gift, a loan, or the
payment for services or I suppose.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
A product correct, correct?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
So were you able to tell us whether that payment
is payment for services by way of example, or whether
it's a loan or a gift. Given the size of
the payment, it.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Was nothing on the bank statement to indicate what it.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Was for, and you took no further investigations, So from
your work, we don't know.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Correct. Mansfield suggests they could have been loans with payments
made back to Polkinghorn. After some time, he asked Skelton
whether she knew anything about the Ilaria family trust and
whether she knew anything about the family's medical or financial needs.
She didn't. The Crown called addiction specialist Emma Schwartz to
(03:59):
the stand. She's currently the clinical director of CADS, or
the Community Alcohol and Drug Service. She's an expert witness
and gave evidence about the effects and manifestations of meth use.
You'll remember Polkinghorn admitted to two charges covering meth and
meth pipe found in his home. A friend and colleague
(04:20):
said he admitted using meth and urged her to try it,
and thirty seven point seven grams of the drug was
found in the couple's Remueerra home. Schwartz says meth is
from the amphetamine stimulant family, which includes things like MDMA, MDA, MDA,
meth itself, and it's broadly a part of the stimulant class,
(04:43):
which includes everything from cocaine to coffee. Meth has an
additional methyl group, though, which basically means it travels to
the brain quite quickly.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
And if we want to compare it to other things
that release dopamine, you know, something like chocolate or things
that we normally enjoy that release dopamine, you're getting us
sort of one hundred units or maybe two hundred units. Cocaine,
which is another common stimula, you might get about three
hundred or so units of dopamine. For methamphetamine, you're getting
an excessive twelve hundred or so units of dopamine just
(05:17):
there in the synaps.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Smoking or injecting math hits you in seconds, she said.
The euphoria or high experienced in those seconds is what
makes it so addictive. The rush of dopamine reinforces the
want to do it again.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
We might see in someone wide pupils. Their eyes might
be looking wide. They might be extremely alert, they might
be aroused. They might be a little edgy. There might
be tense, they might be sort of keyed up and pacing.
Their appetite is reduced, their need for sleep is reduced,
and then there's these dopaminergic and serratin energy effects which
(05:56):
leads to this relaxation and feeling of pleasure. There might
be more talkative, have a sense of feeling more self esteem,
a greater sense of confidence, a greater sense of libido,
a greater sense of comfort. They're talking away, they're up talking,
not wanting to go to sleep, and not eating, and
they may feel that actually, cognitively there they're doing really well,
(06:18):
so things seem to make sense.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Compared to other stimulants. Math lasts so much longer, she said,
four to eight hours.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
It's half life is about twelve hours. It can be
up to seventeen hours. Sorry, I'll just pulls you. The
half life is what the amount of time that it
takes for half of it to leave the body, and
it's a proxy measure for the how long the duration
of effects of a drug, So cocaine, for example, is
(06:46):
you're getting a couple of hours at most. Where's methamphetamine
you're getting, you know, twelve to seventeen hours. It lasts
for so much longer.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Schwarz said. Within the stimulant class, it's extremely and dedictive.
It affects different people in different ways. If you use
it consistently, the dopamine is consistently depleted. When a lot
of external dopamine is introduced, the body can reduce production
of the hormone. It thinks it doesn't need to produce
(07:17):
it anymore, so that takes a while to come back,
sometimes years. When it comes to the recreational use of math,
she said, it could be once or twice a month.
When people start to use it weekly, it's less recreational.
Binge using is a pattern repeated use over a short
period of time. It reflects the need to use again
(07:41):
and gain to maintain that high. When they stop using,
they crash.
Speaker 4 (07:46):
Often the person has been quite sleep deprived when they're
either on a binge or heavy use, and they may
go for in fact, days and days and days. I've
heard of twenty one days even for someone who they
haven't slepped that long, and so naturally there's this crash afterwards.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Schwartz said, people talk about using meth in points. That's
a point of a gram, so one tenth of a gram.
People usually use a point at a time. Aggression and
hostility can also be a byproduct of meth use. The
jury here is, but violence isn't inevitable. There is a
(08:24):
link between aggression and math use across a range of studies,
though there's some dispute about how these studies were controlled
and their sample sizes.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
The other really important study is actually a New Zealand study,
the Christchurch Health and Development Study, and that follows I
think twelve hundred and sixty five people who were born
in nineteen seventy seven and over time, and they measured
everything they possibly could for each of those people over time,
including their substance use. That including markers for aggression and
(08:57):
violence and assault, and so they have a pretty good
understanding of the past upbringing and the early life experiences
of those people and how that might have bearing an
influence on things downstream. And what they found those that
had used methamphetamine, it was a two point five times
(09:21):
increased risk of perpetrating violence, and likewise, they looked at
intimate partner violence as well, and they found a two
point one one so twice as likely, so you more
than twice as likely to perpetrate violent of perpetrate violence
for the group that used methamphetamine compared with the group
(09:43):
that didn't use methamphetamine.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
On cross examination, Ron Mansfield asked whether the adverse impacts
of meth use depend on the dose and regularity. Schwartz agreed.
Mansfield referred to wastewater drug testing results from New Zealand
in gen Nquary to March twenty twenty four. For example, math, MDMA,
(10:04):
and cocaine were all detected. Mansfield refers to another page
in the report, looking at Auckland. It shows the average
weekly drug use by district sites and grams. In Auckland.
About nine thy two hundred grams of math is being
used weekly on average.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Meth Phetamine at least at a recreational level, was used
widely within our Auckland area.
Speaker 5 (10:30):
Correct.
Speaker 4 (10:32):
I think population estimates are about one point one to
one point three percent of the population uses math them petamine.
That's the so this is not necessarily per person. This
per capita drug consumption by district on the left there,
but you know it's based on waste water. One person
(10:52):
could be using all of this theoretically, if you know
what I mean, based on the circles on the right.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Unless underground, especially the underground.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
Yeah, it wouldn't go well.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
For coverage of other news events in New Zealand, including
the issues facing the Deval group and the start of
the America's Cup. Listen to the front page The Herald's
daily news podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Next on
the stand was Police Constable Madeline Palmer. She was tasked
(11:29):
with examining tech belonging to the couple. She begins with
a MacBook pro belonging to Philip Polkinghorn. There was a
digital clone made of the laptop and she used software
to examine that it shows files and data and when
it was created on the computer. The report she produced
is about twelve hundred pages long. She first looked at
(11:51):
April third, fourth, and fifth. Working backwards, she notes Polkinghorn's
laptop's last use was ten fifty nine pm on April fourth,
the night before Pauline Hannah was found dead. There were
emails exchanged between Hannah and Polkinghorn between ten and eleven
PM regarding his draft resignation letter to Auckland die He
(12:15):
earlier said that she was helping him with it. Now
working back to April fourth and April third.
Speaker 5 (12:21):
At two forty eight am on the second of April,
a Google search was conducted for in zid escorts. In
the following eleven minutes through to two fifty nine am
was spent viewing New Zealand Girls dot co dot nzid,
which is located through the knowledge se Safari records.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
That's just how you identified that on the laptop.
Speaker 5 (12:41):
That's the data title in the laptop devices. The laptop
was also used to watch a video titled pink varionated
dot mov. The female subject of this video I recognized
the medicine Neshton heard un identified as non to Polkinghorn
through his communication and financial data. This video is last
(13:03):
access on the fourth of April twenty twenty one at
eight o seven am. On the second of April twenty
twenty one, at seven thirty nine pm, an email was
received from Ashton regarding the delivery of furniture to Sydney, Australia.
At eight forty five pm on the same day, Polkinhorn
responded to Ashton via email, and the following day, on
(13:24):
the third of April twenty twenty one, at eight nineteen pm,
Ashton sent a further email.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Palmer found images screen grabs from a mobile phone of
a website with instructions for making a glass pipe for
meth consumption using a light bulb. These were created on
the thirty first of December twenty nineteen and last accessed
on twenty third of February twenty twenty one. There's also
another image of a glass pipe. A document referring to
(13:53):
health and wellness goals up until twenty forty was created
in September twenty nineteen. In it, one of the goals
is to avoid using drugs. There were also documents regarding
a property in Northcote Point, a letter to a body
corp AGM notes referencing Alaria. We already know about his
(14:14):
visits to Alaria, a sex worker on the North Shore,
and his appearances at AGM's on her behalf. Then onto
Madison Ashton, the Sydney sex worker. The Crown alleges he
was setting up a future with one of the main
characters of his double life. A confidentiality agreement between Ashton
(14:35):
and Polkinghorn created in November twenty eighteen. A loan agreement
from Polkinghorn to Ashton for just over ninety thousand dollars
for a term of six months from December twenty eighteen.
A consultation request for Madison Ashton to an Australian doctor
outlining symptoms and requesting a test of some kind in
(14:55):
twenty twenty an online application for a home loan completed
by Ashton, dated February twenty twenty one and emailed to Polkinghorn.
There are also more screenshots, this time from an escort
website for the profile of Christine McQueen and alias of Ashton.
There are more references to Ashton, screenshots of chats with
(15:18):
her going back to October twenty eighteen, a screenshot of
Christine McQueen's Twitter account in twenty fourteen, a purchase of
a washing machine delivered to Ashton's address, and she featured
in some videos.
Speaker 5 (15:34):
Yes so these are various MP four and movie document
what file types. Twelve different videos depicting medicine, Eshton and
various states of undress and in sexually suggested poses and
engaging in sexual activity. One shows doctor Polkinhorn engaging in
sexual activity with miss Eshton, and another showsman bid while
(15:56):
miss Eshton moves around the room. These files are dated
between March thirty first, twenty twenty and twenty four March
twenty twenty one.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
They're at twelve yiss.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
There was a spattering of documents relating to auckland Eye,
a shareholders agreement, a resignation letter, and images of Hannah
in lingerie lying on a bed created in twenty twelve.
Another more explicit image of a naked woman, possibly Hannah,
created in twenty ten. Palmer also assessed clone data of
(16:31):
a laptop belonging to Hannah. She looked at the activity.
It was last used at ten forty eight on April fourth.
Her laptop two showed emails between her and Polkinghorn about
the auckland Ie resignation letter. There were numerous emails back
and forth with colleagues regarding the COVID vaccine rollout. Now
(16:52):
onto the Google searches and website visits on Hannah's laptop.
I've clipped some of the references for you.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
First one you've got here is how do you keep
saying when your husband is having an afear?
Speaker 3 (17:05):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (17:05):
And that date of twenty eight of October twenty twenty.
Speaker 5 (17:09):
Yes, the date is twenty eighth tenth, twenty twenty eight,
thirty nine pm. The search was done for www dot
heysegment dot com, hyphen infidelity, Understanding the fear and rebuilding
your relationship.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Help us with the next? Please, best Life online science?
Speaker 4 (17:26):
Husband is cheating?
Speaker 3 (17:27):
Is that?
Speaker 4 (17:28):
What's that?
Speaker 2 (17:29):
Is that the search itself?
Speaker 5 (17:30):
So that's the URL meaning the site access. So this
hasn't been a search term. This has been a website
she has accessed.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
So rather than a search to direct the access to
a particular website. Yes, four June twenty nineteen, on page five,
what's that? First search on that?
Speaker 1 (17:49):
That?
Speaker 2 (17:49):
Please?
Speaker 5 (17:50):
The search is how to cope when things go wrong?
Speaker 3 (17:53):
Are the next?
Speaker 5 (17:54):
Access?
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Is an access?
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Isn't? It?
Speaker 5 (17:56):
Is a website a psychological Psychology Today website with the
title the one most Important way cope when things go wrong?
Speaker 2 (18:07):
You tell us what there is?
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Please?
Speaker 5 (18:09):
Asthet again is on the Psychology Today website. How reading
verbatim here, how think narcissist and why they hurt people?
Speaker 1 (18:18):
In November twenty twenty, a search why do people trample
over me? An inquiry to a private investigator. We heard
about this earlier. This happened in July twenty twenty a
series of emails to family catch up emails. They were
a common occurrence and then a glimpse into the relationships
(18:39):
inner workings. A letter seemingly from Philip to Pauline begins,
Dearest Pauline, presumably written on December twenty third, twenty nineteen.
Speaker 5 (18:51):
I felt increasingly devoid in the last few months of
our relationship. I feel, rightly or wrongly, that I'm a
spectator rather than a participant.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
It goes on to say, onto the day to day stuff,
it seems to me you don't give me a chance
to tell you something without you finishing my sentence, telling
me you're more tired, or stating something as you leave
the room, knowing I can't hear what you say.
Speaker 5 (19:15):
I'm concerned you don't really listen to me. You don't
want to know what I really think. I have tried
on numerous occasions to discuss this with you, but inevitably
it is after nine PM when you come back with
a response that is usually negative. When I request the time,
which is less disruptive to me, you invariably state you
are not a morning person, ignoring the obvious that I
don't want to discuss contentious issues after eight pm.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
It then goes on to say, for many years you
have asked me what I want for Christmas, and my
stock answer has been to not ask me to borrow
money from me then, But in twenty nineteen not only
was that ignored, but you went and got an overdraft
as well. Twenty nineteen, as you know, was a difficult
(19:58):
financial year for me. It reads. It then references some trips.
Speaker 5 (20:03):
But right up until last week you were stating I
hadn't taken you to Australia as much in previous years.
My response was, in twenty five years, you have never
taken me to Australia.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Ever, it goes on in twenty five years, I don't
think you've ever paid for the rates, water bill, insurance etc.
Either at Upland Road or Rings Beach or your car
for that matter.
Speaker 5 (20:24):
Yes, your contempt of money does annoy me. Even stating
your flights are free biggers belief, knowing it is the
use of my ear miles that is paying for those flights.
Dare I say, denying me a discounted flight. I have
come to the recognition, belatedly that you are not going
to change. I know by now the cycle of how
we relate to each other, the verbal argument, sorry, verbal gymnastics,
(20:46):
the overstepping of boundaries, the barbs, and then the declaration
of love, only to reboot the same pathway a week
or month later. My options, it seems, are dead simple,
either accept my lot or move on apart.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
It then mentions a three day a retreat like course
called moving on or Up. Paulkinghorn went missing over Christmas
twenty nineteen, you remember, leaving his wife having to lie
to family about his whereabouts when she arrived at their batch.
A document called Philip appears to be a letter addressed
(21:18):
to her husband, created on the second of January twenty twenty,
perhaps a reply to Philip's dearest Pauline letter. Palmer reads
it out in full. It starts with addressing this to
my darling Philip. It addresses some unhappy times, but reads
(21:38):
now that it is largely you and me. I was
of the view that we have a really exciting, vibrant
time ahead for the next thirty years.
Speaker 5 (21:48):
Spending more time at the beach, being grandparents and really
enjoying together the fruits of all that we have, all
that the two of us have done. I still have
a bucket load of love. I think you do too.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
It goes on to mention some ugly times in the
past eighteen months, and I am by no means perfect.
And you say people don't change. That is correct, but
you can modify.
Speaker 5 (22:12):
For example, I keep my car full. I keep fifty
dollar note in the passenger visor. I attempt to keep
my car clean. I know it is not now. I
have never been dirty. But take on board your criticism
about my handling of food. I have my text messages chime,
so I cannot miss your text. I make an effort
to be on time. Sometimes I fail. I take my
(22:33):
dishes down to the dishwasher in the morning. I accumulate
the washing, so I am not using the washing machine overly.
I don't wear my bodysuits other than to work.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
Money is a big issue. It reads, you do take
the line's share of the load. She references an email.
It reads as if I am a totally selfish person
who contributes nothing financially, she writes, and then it ends.
Speaker 5 (22:59):
So oh, sorry, you were everything to me and you
have changed. I haven't, but clearly I have not read
your signals. If you want to make a change I e. Divorce.
Please make it now before thirty one January so that
can make arrangements. I am sixty two in February, and
I do not have arrange of options right now. I
feel very scared, confused, sad, and incredibly lonely.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
When court resumed on day nineteen, there are several versions
of this Dearest Philip letter, differing in the first and
last paragraphs. A word document titled why and how to Next,
created in October twenty twenty, appears to be a series
of pasted information copied from websites regarding marital affairs, marriage troubles,
(23:50):
and how to move forward and cope with that. On
cross examination, Ron Mansfield takes Palmer through various documents. Auckland
I finances life insurance cover for thirty thousand dollars each.
We'd heard about that earlier in the trial. He references
a search on alcoholics Anonymous, a website. It appears to
(24:11):
relate to a search about the twelve steps of the
AA program. He asks Palmer about deleted search history on
Polkinghorn's laptop. Did they investigate Hannah's deleted search history? She
can't recall now.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
The reason I'm doing this is because we've heard quite
a bit of evidence through this entire trial regarding doctor
Polkinghorn and his interest in sexual activities and within the
relationship and outside the relationship, and to provide some balance.
But we can say this document.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
He then goes into some search history from Hannah's laptop.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
So if one search is the word sex on Missus
Polkinghorn's web history on her laptop, then a number of
results come up carreered in relation to various pornography sites
that she has at had access to.
Speaker 5 (25:11):
Correct based on the document provided, Yes, thank you.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
He goes on the word escorts yields two results.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Now you'll be aware, as a police officer that sometimes
dating sites are also used by escorts, whether they be
male or female, as a way of advertising and or
seeking interest in their services. Are you aware of that? No,
it was not, I'm told, But this final document uses
(25:49):
the suit term dating and provides the results for dating.
So I'm going to produce that as an also thank
you soon.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
Mansfield has signaled he'll be talking more to these documents
later in the trial. What Mansfield is doing here is
something called presenting exhibits. These can be documents photos or
sometimes other physical evidence. As you've learned so far, much
of the trial process is procedural, and this is just
another one of those things. You have to kind of
(26:23):
log in your evidence along the way, so it's on
the record. He doesn't have to go in depth now,
but he notes he will be bringing them up again
later when the defense gets to present its case. Moving
on to a new letter from Hannah to Polkinghorn, created
March twenty nineteen. It's unclear when Polkinghorn received it, but
(26:45):
it's on his laptop by April twenty nineteen. It was
last accessed in August twenty twenty. It starts, this is
a letter to the person who loves me. I thought
that person was you. It's a long letter, so I
will just summarize a few parts for you. You can
read the full letter on enzidherld dot co dot nz
(27:07):
if you're interested. She goes onto detail growing up and
how her father died. She references being overseas, meeting her
friend Susan and Pheasant, a relationship with a man named Graham,
she was never besotted. It reads then to meeting Polkinghorn
a blind Foundation dinner Monday, Philip ratting On my door
(27:30):
and saying, are you talking to me? After the kiss
on Friday night? We must have lunch on Thursday. It
mentions taking a taxi to the French cafe on the Thursday.
It says, she tells the taxi driver, I am about
to make a decision that is going to affect the
rest of my life. It reads, Philip took my hand,
(27:51):
heart flipping, I was sold and the rest is what
we have. It goes on to mention family, their life.
We have been going through some tough times. It reads,
I thought we were a unit. It then goes on
to detail a couple of instances. It reads, what he
said to me that night was not only devastating, and
(28:12):
there was lots of it, but the key thing that
hurt was our last twenty five years is a waste
of time. It was incredible. I almost still cannot take
it in.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
And we've got that reference too. Then all hel broke loose.
I have not behaved as he wanted, and I cry,
I'm gutted. Been holding it in for so long? Can
you see that? Yes, then that is wrong. So that's
the crime, holding it in. And he is angry and
doesn't want to name me or my issues for me
(28:48):
for that matter, and then it reads who who's in
fact ricked all these brackets? Twenty seven? Did I get
it wrong? That he was the truly loved me as
is number one? I was number one in someone's life
as he was in mind? Have we got that wrong?
(29:09):
Question mark? Question mark? God, what a prospect dash? I
cannot live if that is the result that if I
have got it wrong? So those are who words correct?
Speaker 5 (29:22):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (29:29):
The Crown then called Detective Andrew Reeves. He examined mobile
phones belonging to Polkinghorn, a phone belonging to Hannah, a laptop,
eleven external hard drives and USB drives. He starts with
polking Horn's iPhone.
Speaker 6 (29:46):
There were eight hundred and twenty six images of adult pornography.
There were approximately three thousand, six hundred and eighty six
images of sexual nature, and included in the title were
three thous five hundred and twenty five images from something
called cam sites, which are paid subscription sites where people
(30:08):
form themselves. The majority of those images were of women naked,
party naked, or.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
Masturbating on the videos. Reeves found more than three thousand,
five hundred on Polkinghorn's phone. They included ones of Ashton
in various states of undress and performing sex acts.
Speaker 6 (30:27):
There was then two further videos which were again of
that laptop with the screenplaying, and a video of miss
Ashton essentially modeling underwear and walking around in lingerie, and
it involved a sex act by mister Polkinghorn. While watching
(30:49):
the video.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
What was it? Metad out of date for that creation.
Speaker 6 (30:54):
The twenty seventh of the second twenty twenty.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
One, Reeves looked at different messages on the phone. He
focuses on some between Alaria and Polkinghorn.
Speaker 6 (31:04):
The e text messages were between the eleventh April twenty
twenty one and fifteenth of April, and approximately just after
ten pm ten oh three pm on the twelfth of
April twenty twenty one, mister Polkinghorn texted missus Pop Constantino
and said, Hi, I know it's late, but are you
still I was thinking of ubering over. So it was
(31:25):
the day of that one, twelfth of April twenty twenty one.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
This was just seven days after Hannah's death. There were
numerous WhatsApp messages between Polkinghorn and Madison Ashton, but Reeves
said he was unable to find any from before April fifth,
twenty twenty one, when Hannah was found dead. On that day,
messages begin about four to twenty eight pm. Ashton sends
(31:49):
polking Horn a link to an image of herself in
a swimsuit. More messages in the days after Hannah's death,
photos of a Lambshank recipe, she's cooking for her children
or her two Chihuahua dogs.
Speaker 6 (32:02):
Four twenty am. In the morning of the seventh of April,
She's foughted an article in stuff which talks about them,
of the death and how the post mortem is going
to be carried out.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
Reeves moves on through pages of messages between the pair.
More messages, photos of Ashton's dogs, references to her at
a salon, selfie's a plastic surgery procedure. On April eight,
Polkinghorn says his sister Ruth spent hours with police that day.
He tells her police won't release the post mortem results
(32:38):
to his QC, so they're going to try and arrange
another autopsy. Ashton sends information about plastic surgery treatments on
April ten. The messages continue daily over a page thirty two.
Speaker 6 (32:51):
Now on this page a link again is sent from
doctor Polkinghorn via WhatsApp it's a video and I'm not
actually sure what that is. Then Miss Ashton replies, honestly,
I really love you, and then she responds, do not
(33:12):
wear an iffing bow tie at the funeral.
Speaker 5 (33:15):
Keep the hat.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
On April thirteen, she sends a photo it's inside of
a fridge, presumably hers. It's dirty, something spilled.
Speaker 6 (33:25):
Sends another photo from a different angle, and then straight
after that follows up with let's come up with home duties.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
Who does what? Which one is that?
Speaker 5 (33:35):
So that's page thirty six.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
Okay, that's some of the thirteenth thirty PM.
Speaker 6 (33:44):
Yes, she sends a message talking about home duties. Shortly
after that, Doctor Pokinghorn replies, don't recognize that refrigerator must
be the neighbors, obviously, in reference to the photos of
the dirty inside of the refrigerator. Possession replies don't. And
(34:06):
then a bit later, at eleven twenty two pm, doctor
Polkinhorn replies with I am good at ironing and grocery shopping,
putting the rubbish out, and can cook. I am very
good at judging shakes and can freeze bananas. I can
water plants, watch dogs pick up poos point out the imperfections.
I'm a natural at ignoring the obvious spotting expired milk
(34:29):
reading history, and he then follows that up with I
will run the picture past the refrigeration engineer again obviously
in reference to the dirty fridge.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
On April fifteen, she says, good day, darling.
Speaker 6 (34:43):
The later on the fifteenth, doctor Polkinhorn says, I will
call you in about two hours, that's at five or
eight pm. On the fifteenth of April, at five fifty
five pm, Mistation replies with, I just remember that you're
at the service. Would have been a big day. I
believe this is in reference to the funeral server for
Pauline Hanner message at ten fifteen pm from doctor Tolkinghorn
(35:05):
saying I've been having back as I thought I would
have some good news. Unfortunately, in spite of promises, not
the case. That's late on the evening of the fifteenth,
at ten to fifteen pm, the Session replies with, oh,
that's through disappointing. Only consolation you have is that it's
nearly over. At least you knew coming into this that
it was going to be a shitty day. And then XOXO,
(35:28):
love view a whole.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
Lot Polkinhorn's phone was taken by police on April sixteen.
Reeves also explains some Google searches on twenty seventh of
March twenty twenty one, how the brain controls pleasure, another
search for how to change the password on a Mac,
A search for Christine McQueen's OnlyFans account. On April fifth,
(35:53):
about five pm, a search for how to delete iCloud storage.
The time correlates with him leaving the police station after
his recorded police interview, the one we saw earlier in
the trial. On April six, there's another search how to
record on iPhone and how to transfer iCloud storage on
(36:16):
a new Mac laptop, and then a search on duck
Duck Go. It's a search engine designed not to be trackable.
It's all about privacy, Reeves said, but only when you
use the app.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
The I phone twelve Safari search had been deleted on the.
Speaker 6 (36:33):
Device correct, but was able to be recovered. And what
was search search term was leg edema after strangulation.
Speaker 1 (36:44):
So this search leg edema after strangulation was done. On
April six, twenty twenty one, about five point thirty pm,
Reeves goes through the activity on Polkinghorn's phone on April fourth.
The phone is locked at eleven sixteen pm and it's
unlocked at one ten am. WhatsApp is then accessed. The
(37:08):
phones then turned to airplane mode. At one seventeen am,
the note app is accessed, the photos and Videos app
is used. We don't know what he viewed. This happens
sporadically up until two forty four am. That's when the
phone's locked. At six forty six am it's opened, the
(37:29):
photos and videos app used Until eight oh five am
the mobile phone app is used, but unable to work
given airplane mode is on, and then WhatsApp is accessed again.
Speaker 6 (37:41):
No message though, as they were deleted. At auto six am,
the mobile phone app was used again, which is the
app you would use to make a phone call. It
says they're no needtwork activity possible possibly excuse me at
ato six then the display is off again and at
(38:03):
eighteen am the phone is again unlocked, and at eighteen
am the mobile phone app is used to make an
outgoing call, which was later confirmed to be a call
to Ruth Hughes from the Solida Tolco data.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
You remember Polkinghorn rang one one one At eight six
am that morning. Reeves also looked into hard drives and
USB drives. Various photos were found, one showing a glass
of wine next to a math pipe with sweet path
written on the side. It was created at twenty sixth
(38:38):
of June twenty nineteen, after three am.
Speaker 6 (38:41):
Yeah, it's quite dark and a bit hard to see.
But when I zoomed into that rectangular part of the photograph,
because there's a mirrored wall in the room, it's obviously
a reflection. And what is in the reflection is, in
my understanding, Dr Polkinghorn. It looks like him. I've seen
many pictures of doctor Polkinhorn. I've met doctor Polkinhorn, so
(39:02):
I believe that's him in the photograph. He has his
phone in his hand in is obviously taking that photo.
He's naked whilst taking the photo.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
More images of Ashton, thousands of them across different drives.
Images from twenty nineteen show the inside of Ashton's apartment,
Polkinhorn's reflection in a mirror, naked selfies of different women,
WhatsApp screenshot conversations about meeting for sex with Ashton. Text
messages to sex worker Lee about meeting her and having
(39:34):
sex with other males and then onto more drives.
Speaker 6 (39:38):
It contained multiple saved pornographic videos from online sites. This
external hydrivet also contained images of naked female and females,
and some of them we believe to be Lee Petterson
and Medicine Ashton. There was also multiple savid images of
not tying techniques.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
Reeves then moves on to the analysis of Hannah's phone.
He said the final entry on the timeline was a
calendar appointment Hannah had created for dinner with PJP, saved
for April fifth, seven pm, but by that time should
be dead. His evidence will continue on day twenty. You
(40:26):
can listen to episodes of Accused the Polkinghorn Trial through
the front Page podcast feed or find it on iHeartRadio
or wherever you get your podcasts. This series is presented
and produced by me Chelsea Daniels, with producer Ethan Siles
and sound engineer Patti Fox. Additional reporting from the Heralds
Craig Captan and George Block, and for more coverage of
(40:49):
the Polkinghorn Trial, head to Enzhrold dot co dot nz
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